Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Duke, arrests and a long denied history...

Let’s just jump right the hell on in, shall we?

There have been two arrests in the Duke Lacrosse rape case. The District Attorney has indicated that he is preparing evidence to secure the arrest of a third suspect.This bitch heard about the sealed indictments handed down by the Grand Jury and decided to catch the news last night. A certain Paula Zahn tackled the case on CNN and featured an interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jackson discussed the component of race in this case and Paula tripped right over a comprehension wire that a bitch has noticed a lot of folks tripping over lately.

The interview was brief, but Jackson did mention the dynamic of race and black women in America. Zahn…and a bitch will confess to having no love for her…skeptically challenged Jackson stating ‘you aren’t trying to say that this woman was raped because she was black’. He wasn't, but the connection was lost on Zahn who was clearly checking off the black opinion box on the official CNN Racially Charged Legal Case to-do list.

Now, a bitch has lived 33 years by the grace of Gawd and all 33 of them as a black woman (wink). If my ass had a dollar for every shocked expression having person who scoffed at the notion that black women have been historically viewed as the sexual party favors of straight white men…particularly southern white men…my ass would own CNN.

You are truly blessed if you are unaware of this shit…blessed with privilege, with the ability to walk down a secluded road without caution…you are blessed to not have a ‘family secret’, to not have ever crossed the street when a group of young white men came towards you, to never have felt your blood pressure rise when a pick-up truck passed you sporting confederate flag decals.

The rest of us…the gays who fear bashing, the Latinos who fear being beaten for having the audacity to be here, the black women who know all too well what happens in frat house bathrooms and all women who hear the sexual assault statistics and are confronted with the law of averages…the rest of us are not so lucky.

Anyhoo...

True to form, Zahn asked for historical 'evidence'. Jackson handled himself well, but a bitch would have liked for him to point out that, as has been demonstrated by this case, making the charge of rape stick has never been easy. For a black woman, making the charge of rape stick against a white defendant has usually been impossible.

This nation is young, but the sexual abuse and exploitation of women and the unique expolitation and abuse of women of color is woven into our fabric. It lingers over our history like the stench of a rotting corpse…clinging to our great moments and indicting our bad ones.

This case is clearly moving forward. The victim is in hiding and her family is rallying behind her in support. Her cousin was on CNN this morning talking to Miles O’Brien and she called for justice…not riots and not violence. She also asked for the nation’s prayers for her family and the victim.

A bitch can’t promise you justice, my sister…but y'all have got my prayers and you had them from day one.

Somewhere at some time there were lots of white women being raped. But not that night in that house with those fools.

I want to slap Paula Zahn. Historical evidence???? The existence of most black people in this country should be enough. The idea that a minimum of 90% of African Americans are of mixed ancestry should be enough historical evidence. Black women were raped for sport. Obviously, there are some things that just aren't being taught in history class. I swear, certain people and their historical amnesia.

This is my problem with the whole thing...what was the motivation of the Lacrosse players. There young, intelligent men in COLLEGE. Not to say that people w/o these traits would perpetrate these actions but these individuals seem especially isolated from this type of activity. Now this could easily be a case of nievity from me...so I'm not rushing to judgement on either side. I could never understand the plight of black women as I am a white male but I do understand the rising of blood pressure due to social stimulants so I have a great deal of empathy for them. I also am familiar with the college atmosphere and the ease of a good time w/o the presense of these alleged horrific acts. I pray for the family of the girl but I also pray for objectivity on the part of the DA, the Grand Jury, and the eventual Jury.

There is a simple way to end the racial hysteria surrounding the Duke Lacrosse team. Simply tell people it was El Duke,not Duke players that were accused the rape of a white woman, and the same civil rights leaders who are lynching the Duke Players would lynch the racist DA.....

I can see it now, "racist DA perpetuates black rape myth." And of course the nails were planted by a racist cop, "If the nails don't clip you must acquit."

"For a black woman, making the charge of rape stick against a white defendant has usually been impossible."

That's great. But what does this have to do with a case where the DNA tests indicate that not a single player even touched her, let alone raped beat and choked her? Just because she's a sister and they're white boys, doesn't mean they deserve punishment.

This will be a very interesting case to see play out in court. The lack of DNA evidence is crucial but I read today that 70-80% of rape cases are tried without DNA evidence so I guess we will have to wait and see. I hope this stays on course as a rape case against a woman as opposed to "white boys" raping a black woman. To DAG, I am having trouble understanding your post. Was the meaning to show that if she was white this would be different? I am not sure. To Tiger Lilly, I do not understand the reference to white women being raped somewhere. Did I miss something?

I am not suprised at the ignorance of Zahn. Her ignorance is bad, but not nearly as bad as that of Tucker Carlson when he interviewed Jackson last night.

I find it most interesting to listen to how the victim in this case is described. She is a "black stripper" as opposed to being "black exotic dancer." I caught a portion of Scarborough on MSNBC and one of the guests was a former "exotic dancer." You guessed it she was a white woman who worked in a club and didn't do bachelor parties like the "black stripper."

Of course, those ardent fans of CSI should remember that in the real world a vast majority of rapists are convicted despite the lack of DNA evidence linking the suspect to the victim.

What I don't understand is the photo evidence. I was reading the detailed description that ABC News has put out, and was troubled by the claim that there were photos taken of her right after she fell down the back stairs, possibly causing one of her injuries.

If someone fell down your back stairs (assuming you were not the homeowner), would your first instinct be to take photos? What the hell are they doing taking photos?

Andrew: What was the motive? You are being facetious, correct? Please, dear gawd, someone tell me he's being facetious. If you aren't, then I pray a bitch has the will to gently correct you. I, for one, am too taken aback to do so without a hell of a lot of profanity and anger.

I am taking the wait and see approach. I have seen many a false rape accusation. Part of me is a disappointed to see a sista strippin' in college, and I am disappointed in her criminal past. But I blame her "baby daddy" for not providing for her. To me, that's the issue. If her man would step up, this would have never happened.

black women have been the sexual plaything of white men... and the big bad secret of american society has been the lack of racial purity of the African-American. Many of you all are not pure African....Gee I wonder how that happened. Professor Gates at Harvard just traced his DNA and found that he was half white. He went back and looked for official records on his ancestors and found records on many who identified themselves as African Americans. There are a lot of gaps on that record...guess what no birth certificates and no bible entries were made by white men who had sex with free or slave African Americans!!!

This crap has been going on long enough and is highly prevalent....it's time for white America to own up to it... and that's what the Duke lax scandal is all about.

Sabre, No I was not being facetious...I actually don't see how my statement could be construed in that way at all. Also, to Fahren...was anyone raped in "Animal House"?I SAID that I may be having a case of nievity(sp??). Personnally, I don't see the motivation for it. As for the rest of you putting the onus of the mistreatment of black women over the years on the backs of these men who have not been convicted is difficult to stomach.

The last anonymous post is a little over the top. While I will never deny that rape was an everyday occurrence in the times of slavery and that it was terrible, it was over a hundred years ago. My family never raped anyone or owned slaves for that matter so I do not need to own up to anything. Linking this rape tht supposedly happened to rapes that happened in the times of slavery is ridiculous.

What a great post. I think that the one of the biggest problems with american media is that they take one facet of a socio-economic racial demographic group and that's it...it's like they don't think that they american public can look at too many facets of a story...drives me nuts..

What a great post. I think that the one of the biggest problems with american media is that they take one facet of a socio-economic racial demographic group and that's it...it's like they don't think that they american public can look at too many facets of a story...drives me nuts..

A friend of mine was giving my ignorant ass a history lesson yesterday about the Durham area. I had no idea that most of the natives can trace their ancestry back to slavery when the blacks in the area were slaves and the whites were slave owners. There's still that element of mistrust between the races and hatred as a result of the history.

This nation is young, but the sexual abuse and exploitation of women and the unique expolitation and abuse of women of color is woven into our fabric. It lingers over our history like the stench of a rotting corpse…clinging to our great moments and indicting our bad ones.

ABB, that is an absolutely stunning, deeply powerful formulation of a stunning and powerful truth. The kind of writing that just doesn't happen often enough.

You're telling us you didn't do much writing before this blog? Well, then: your brother did us all a big, big favor when he gave you this site for your birthday. And, when you write that book, I wanna know about it, because I need to be one of the people with a first edition.

I'm gonna make a second post here in a minute to address some of the comments in this thread, but I just wanted to say that to you first.

You're not understanding something very, very important here. The motivation for rape is pretty darn consistent: it's the gratification of the rapist's desires at the expense of the victim's autonomy. It is a crime of power. It is about people believing that they are entitled to their pleasure at the expense of other people's humanity.

For evidence that the mindset necessary for rape was present in that house, one really only need look at the email in which one of those "young, intelligent men in COLLEGE," uh, "joked" about skinning some strippers for his own sexual gratification.

Let's leave aside how incredibly horrifying and evocative the threat to "skin" people is in the context of what was clearly a racially charged situation (racial slurs were thrown about quite freely at that party--there are at least two outside witnesses to that). Do you not see that anyone who would even think such a threat could qualify as a "joke" already has a hard time seeing certain people as people?

Now, what occasioned that email was the two women's leaving the house out of fear for their safety. So do you not see that his motivation for sending that email was his frustration and anger over having his will, his desire for pleasure at the expense of another person's desire for authonomy, thwarted?

And, bombsoverbaghdad,

I have seen many a false rape accusation.

Uh, really? Really? When? Where? By whom? How many is this "many"? Because, not only in my own experience, but in studies conducted by criminologists, the reality is that false rape accusations not only are exceedingly rare, but most rapes never get reported in the first place because the victims are afraid nobody will believe them. Thanks, in large part, to the "false rape accusation" myth.

Bitch, you know this is the same thing that we have seen in this country since the 1600s. (And this is a Southern white bitch talking, BTW.) Little rich boys dippin' the wick for their own sexual gratification and power-dynamic enforcement. Little white boys coming down to buy or to force themselves onto black women...then cyring to Mommy that the woman was a ho, that she deserved it, that she wanted it, that she's lying, blah blah blah.

If these little boys were black basketball players, I wonder how this would be played in the media at large. I believe her. The DA believes her. The doctors and nurses apparently believe her, given the medical evidence. So what is the great mental leap that has to happen with understanding that this woman was raped?

Another point that's driving me nuts: Time/date-stamped video/pix don't mean anything. Anyone can set the clock on a camera beforehand or Photoshop in a stamp on a digital frame. This white bitch is not impressed by the lame excuses and wall of silence, and eagerly awaits justice. Unfortunately, with this on their resumes, they might qualify for major leadership positions at the federal level...

Kobe was a black man that was accused of raping a white girl and the Media was fair with him, and the case was dismissed after the evidence was looked at so where does that leave you? Also, there is a lot more than time stamped pictures in defense of one of these men. There are ATM receipts that put him out of the house when this rape supposedly happened, as well as a cab ride that he was in at the estimated time of rape. There is a lot of evidence that suggests this did not happen so I guess it is a great mental leap for me in understanding that this rape absolutely happened.

All conjecture aside, I really like what Kirk Osborn, one of Mr. Segligmann's attorneys, said about the accused. "This kid is just an honorable kid, never done anything wrong in his life."What is he the second coming...come on, it's one thing to prop him up a bit, but to say he's never done anything wrong sounds rediculous.

One thing that always bothered me about rape cases (other than the obvious), why is the one raped the "alleged victim"? Yet if one is the victim of robbery or any other kind of assault, there seems to be no question that he/she is in fact a victim of a crime. The only question lies in who is the "alleged perpatrator".

And while I generally try to remain as impartial as possible, given the scrutiny involved in bringing charges of this magnitude, and given her questionable past, I'm sure this woman didn't file these charges lightly.

Is it only me that has noticed that the evidence that puts the one accused outside the house (supposedly) isn't conclusive at all? Kid hands his buddy his ATM card (knowing he's about to commit a rape and needing an alibi, and not necessarily letting buddy know) and asks him to go to the ATM and get some cash for him. Kid further suggests that buddy use his ATM card to pay for cab. For me, unless there is photographic evidence that the accused was actually using his own ATM card, this smells like a red herring. A well designed one, if my suspicion about the rape being premeditated is correct.

Andrew said:"All conjecture aside, I really like what Kirk Osborn, one of Mr. Segligmann's attorneys, said about the accused. "This kid is just an honorable kid, never done anything wrong in his life."

Among other things, it's also inaccurate. Apparently one of the things contributing to the deep antipathy between the Duke Town and Gown is that these players at that house apparently have an extensive history of loud, drunken and disorderly conduct, disrupting the entire neighborhood, before this occurred.

As someone else in the comments explained for Andrew earlier, it's all about entitlement -- what - and who - these young men think they're entitled to, just as a result of being who - and what - they are in this society. (And BTW, there are plenty of stupid people in college.)

As to Ms. Zahn's comments, I used to work in the Reverend's office. I'm wondering why someone on the media staff, on doing their media prep for the interview, didn't prepare some retort referencing Strom Thurmond and his "family history" for the intrepid blond reporter. Or would that just have been "inflammatory"?

Littlem, I don't see how my post was inaccurate in anyway whatsoever, the least of which is the quote I provided. If your indicating that the attorney's statement is preposturous then I'm completely on board with you. If you read my entire post you would see that vs. immediately assuming where I would have gone with it.

Littlem, I don't see how my post was inaccurate in anyway whatsoever, the least of which is the quote I provided. If your indicating that the attorney's statement is preposturous then I'm completely on board with you. If you read my entire post you would see that vs. immediately assuming where I would have gone with it.

Angry Black B, I have always love your blog. You have a way of ... tellin it like Is...On that note, When will black people start getting angry at those in the music idustry for showing black women being degraded, and at Hollywood for handing out oscars for "It's Hard Out Here for Pimp" and let's not forget, Halle Berry. Who? You know,that black actress who feels she opened up the door for thousand of other black women by taking off her clothes and doing the do with a white man. The white men in my office kept talking about that scene for days! What was that movie about anyway? Um... ??

Airforce1, are you going to sit there and tell that lie about how the MEDIA was fair with Kobe for having sex with that crackhead white ho. please the media portrayed kobe as a racist, have you noticed how kobe hasn't had any promotions for a while. dont get me wrong, rape regardless if done by a black or white man is wrong, but its true that whites (mainly men) have killed, raped, and tourchered blacks for countless years and got away with it. im not saying you are your family has done it. any way, whites need to open their eyes, what about the Terrel Owens commercial where he holds that naked white bitch from desperate house wives...ok now try to remember the commercial about some white guy who is getting his family together to meet the family of an asian girl whom he plans to marry. ill bet the latter is hard to remember. with that said it a known fact that if a black tries to go out their race(especially with white women) they are looked down upon and is called miscegenation, as opposed to the idea that a white guy who dates out his race(an asian for example) is cute and colorblind. due to these racist veiws i think that it is true that a black woman is going to have a hell of a time proving that a white man raped her.